Neuer Glanz für den alten Transrapid, Bonn, NRW, Germany - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

BONN. The Transrapid in front of the German Museum looks like new. The prototype from 1983 has been restored for five weeks. It is not only a visual object, but also a signal for the Bonn location of the museum, for which the city wants to cancel the subsidy because of the strained budget.
By Nicolas Ottersbach, 16. 10. 2015

The restoration costs of 100,000 euros were largely borne by ThyssenKrupp and Siemens, which brought the magnetic levitation train to the test track in Emsland at the time. Fahrzeugtechnik Bahnen Dessau, which managed the renovation, gave discounts. The museum only paid just under 10,000 euros.

Some parts that the workers found during the repair work did not appear to have come from a train that could reach 412 kilometers per hour. Paper towels were good enough to seal the vehicle. "It had to be quick and expectations were high," said Friedrich Löser of ThyssenKrupp yesterday.

Although the combined technology of lightweight construction and electronics was considered a major advance in the 1970s, the model never made it into commercial use in Germany. "Politicians no longer wanted the Transrapid because the hoped-for upswing did not materialize after the reunification," said Löser.
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"You have to imagine, there used to be deviations of centimeters. Here, too, the Transrapid was a pioneer," Löser said. Even now with the restoration one could learn from the prototype. Namely what the condition of the materials is like after more than 30 years. The aluminium and the glass fibre mats had lost consistency and the protective coating flaked off. Seals were porous, rivets broke due to temperature fluctuations.

"We had to restore the Transrapid," said museum director Andrea Niehaus. The first impetus for this came two years ago, despite the discussion about the financial resources, she wanted to stick to it. "This industrial monument has a charisma that extends beyond Bonn's borders from the neighbourhood," said Niehaus, who is currently primarily concerned with founding the "Wissenschaftschaf(f)t Spaß" sponsorship association.
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Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 10/16/2015 Publication: General-Anzeiger-Bonn Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Arts/Culture

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